Sticky tender boneless chicken thighs in a garlic, soy, and honey sauce. This honey garlic chicken is so simple to make and it’s ready in 20 minutes. Serve with rice for an easy Friday night fakeaway.
A classic combination of honey, soy sauce and garlic working together to produce a sticky, sweet sauce to coat golden tender chicken pieces.
I love to whip this up to serve over boiled rice for dinner, or as an easy addition to a homemade Chinese banquet. Check out my list further down the post for ideas to include in your homemade Chinese banquet!
How to make it
- First we dredge the chicken in cornflour (cornstarch), salt and pepper. Then we fry in oil over a hot pan until golden brown.
- Add a little butter to the pan (this will enrich the sauce later) along with some minced garlic.
- Add honey, stock, rice vinegar and light soy sauce to a bowl and stir together. Add to the pan with the chicken and bring to the boil. Let it simmer and reduce until thick and sticky.
- Top the chicken with chopped parsley and chilli flakes.
I sometimes shy away from using chicken thighs in recipes, as they’re more fiddly and usually require more trimming to remove the fat than chicken breasts.
However for this recipe, you can leave some of the fat on, as the chicken is fried over a high heat, so that fat will crisp up nicely. The thigh meat is also more tender than breast meat, and it can handle the short burst of high heat without drying out.
Then serve over boiled rice. Mmmmm look at the golden brown crispy chicken……
Why not make this as part of a homemade Chinese banquet – including:
- Special fried rice (full masterclass recipe)
- Spicy Ginger Beef
- Sticky Chinese Pork Belly – melt-in-the-mouth tender
- Baked Cauliflower Wings in a delicious Asian sauce
- Oven-Baked Ribs with Crispy Onions
- Pulled Crispy Duck – tastes authentic, but super easy to make
Check out our Honey Garlic Chicken Web Story!
More Delicious Chicken Recipes:
If you’re looking for more chicken recipes then why not try one of these:
- Orange Chicken Recipe – Ready in 20 Minutes!
- Crispy Sesame Chicken with a Sticky Asian Sauce
- Honey Lemon Chicken
- Kung Pao Chicken
- BBQ Chicken Wings
- Hunters Chicken
The Honey Garlic Chicken Video
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4.87 from 163 votes
Honey Garlic Chicken Recipe
By Nicky Corbishley
Sticky tender boneless chicken thighs in a garlic, soy and honey sauce. Minimal ingredients, simple to prepare and ready in 20 minutes!
Prep Time:
5 minutes mins
Cook Time:
15 minutes mins
Total Time:
20 minutes mins
Servings: 4
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Asian, Chinese
Ingredients
- 8 chicken thighs (skinless and boneless)
- 2 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch)
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 4 cloves minced garlic
- 110 g (1/3 cup) honey
- 80 ml (1/3 cup) chicken stock
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
To Serve:
- 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
- ½ tsp chilli flakes
- boiled rice
Instructions
Place the chicken thighs in a bowl and add the cornflour (cornstarch), salt, and pepper. Toss the chicken in the cornflour until fully coated.
8 chicken thighs, 2 tbsp cornflour, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper
Heat the oil in a large frying pan (skillet) over a high heat.
2 tbsp vegetable oil
Add the chicken thighs, and cook on one side until golden brown (about 4-5 minutes), then turn over and cook for a further 2 minutes.
Add the butter to the pan, let it melt, then add the garlic and stir together. Turn the heat down to medium so the garlic doesn't burn, then make the sauce.
1 tbsp unsalted butter, 4 cloves minced garlic
To make the sauce, combine the honey, stock, rice vinegar, and light soy sauce in a bowl and stir together.
110 g (1/3 cup) honey, 80 ml (1/3 cup) chicken stock, 1 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tbsp light soy sauce
Add the sauce to the pan. Turn the heat up and bring the sauce to the boil, then simmer for 4-5 minutes until the sauce reduces and thickens, and the chicken is cooked through (and no longer pink in the middle).
Sprinkle on the chopped parsley and chilli flakes and serve over boiled rice.
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley, 1/2 tsp chilli flakes, boiled rice
Video
Notes
Can I replace the chicken thighs with chicken breast?
Yes, you can do this. Chicken thighs are a little more tender, and stand up well to cooking over a high heat without drying out, but you can replace with chicken breast if you prefer.
I would suggest slicing the chicken breast into thick strips, or flattening the chicken using a rolling pin to ensure it cooks through quickly and evenly in the pan.
Can I make this gluten free?
Yes, replace the soy sauce with tamari and use gluten free chicken stock. Ensure you brand of rice vinegar is gluten free too.
Can I freeze it?
Yes, although the chicken won’t be quite as tender (it’ll still taste great through). Cook, quickly cool and cover the chicken, then freeze. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator, and reheat in the oven at 180C/350f on a baking tray. Cover the chicken with foil before placing in the oven to help prevent it drying out.
Cook for 12-15 minutes until piping hot throughout.
Can I make ahead or save leftovers and reheat?
Yes, although the chicken won’t be quite as tender when reheated (it’ll still taste great through). Cook, quickly cool and cover the chicken, then refrigerate. Reheat in the oven at 180C/350f on a baking tray. Cover the chicken with foil before placing in the oven to help prevent it drying out.
Cook for 12-15 minutes until piping hot throughout.
Ingredient swaps:
- If you don’t have rice vinegar, you can swap for apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar plus 1/4 tsp of sugar.
- If you don’t have light soy sauce, you can swap for 3/4 tbsp of dark soy sauce.
- The vegetable oil can be swapped for any neutral tasting oil that can be cooked at high temperatures (such as rapeseed, sunflower and ghee).
Nutritional Information is per serving, excluding rice.
Nutrition
Calories: 472kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 45g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 223mg | Sodium: 804mg | Potassium: 611mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 300IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Leave a comment below!
Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links – which means if you buy the product I get a small commission (at no extra cost to you). If you do buy, then thank you! That’s what helps us to keep Kitchen Sanctuary running. The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors. For more information please see our
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Hi, I'm Nicky and I love to cook! I want to share with you my favourite, delicious family friendly recipes. I want to inspire you to create fantastic food for your family every day.
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